Cancer News and Research

Latest Cancer News and Research

Study finds no real increase in obesity among adults; but levels still high

After a quarter century of increases, obesity prevalence has not measurably increased in the past few years but levels are still high - at 34 percent of U.S. adults aged 20 and over, according to a new study released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

29 Nov 2007

Violence in the media a serious threat to public health

According to a new study from the U.S., the violence depicted on television, in films and video games threatens the safety of the public because it increases the aggressive behavior of the viewers.

29 Nov 2007

The health risk posed by excessive CT scans

Scientists in the United States have expressed concern about the number of computed tomography or CT scans now being performed.

29 Nov 2007

How cells communicate focus of new research

Scientists at the University of Liverpool have been awarded £5 million to investigate how cells respond to stimuli such as stress and UV radiation.

27 Nov 2007

Discovery of gene responsible for statin-induced muscle pain

Statins, the popular class of drugs used to lower cholesterol, are among the most commonly prescribed medications in developed countries.

27 Nov 2007

Scientists adopt fresh approach in quest for new therapies

Scientists are to pool their expertise in human health to pioneer an innovative approach to treating common diseases.

27 Nov 2007

RNA polymerase III mutation disrupts organ growth

The cellular mechanism that turns DNA into all of the thousands of proteins that make up a human body is itself both intricate and interesting.

27 Nov 2007

Positron emission tomography may improve lung cancer diagnosis

Tumor imaging with positron emission tomography (PET) may improve the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of lung cancer patients, according to a review published online November 27 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

27 Nov 2007

Oncolytics Biotech issued new U.S. patent - reovirus for the treatment of neoplasia

Oncolytics Biotech Inc. has announced that it has been granted U.S. Patent 7,300,650 entitled "Reovirus for the Treatment of Neoplasia."

27 Nov 2007

MIT radar technology fights breast cancer

Treating breast cancer with a type of heat therapy derived from MIT radar research can significantly increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy, according to results from the fourth clinical trial of the technique reported online Nov. 25 in the journal Cancer Therapy.

27 Nov 2007

Discovery of key acute myeloid leukemia gene

A gene called N-Myc leads a double life in certain white blood cells, helping to trigger a cancer called acute myeloid leukemia (AML) under some conditions while triggering apoptosis, or cell suicide, under other conditions, according to results of a mouse study done by investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

27 Nov 2007

Cryoablation for bone cancer tumors reduces pain, study shows

Cryoablation, a procedure most commonly associated with destroying kidney and prostate tumors by freezing them, has been shown to offer durable pain relief of cancer that has spread to bone.

27 Nov 2007

Europe to tackle brain disorder research by linking industry, academia

Attempts to cure brain-related disorders have proved less successful than therapies for other major conditions such as heart cancer, even though just as many people suffer from them.

27 Nov 2007

Study looks at progesterone for Alzheimer's

The first study on progesterone and Alzheimer's disease has found no clear preventive benefit for the widely prescribed hormone in an animal model.

27 Nov 2007

Alcohol and tobacco use doesn't boost HPV-related cancer risk

Heavy smoking and drinking are known to cause head and neck cancer. Infection with human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16), a common strain of the sexually-transmitted HPV virus, is another known risk factor for head and neck cancer, which affects about 500,000 people each year worldwide.

27 Nov 2007

Scientists create mouse resistant to cancer

A mouse resistant to cancer, even highly-aggressive types, has been created by researchers at the University of Kentucky.

27 Nov 2007

Blood-vessel blocker aids cancer-killing virus

Cancer-killing viruses are a promising therapy for incurable brain tumors, but their effectiveness has been limited in part because immune cells rapidly move in and eliminate them.

27 Nov 2007

Cholera can be controlled with oral vaccines

Endemic cholera, a potentially fatal diarrheal disease found in the world's most impoverished countries, could be effectively controlled by orally vaccinating half of the affected populations once every two years for only pennies per dose, according to new findings by an international team of researchers led by Ira M. Longini Jr., Ph.D., a biostatistician in the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Longini and colleagues will report their findings online Nov. 27 in PLoS Medicine.

27 Nov 2007

Special scans reveal the deadly effects of second hand smoke

Any doubts harboured about the damage second hand smoke can inflict on the health may be resolved in the minds of skeptics by the results of a new study.

27 Nov 2007